The management of acute dental pain in the recovering alcoholic.

Although there have been many advances in our understanding of the neurophysiology of pain, the management of acute pain continues to be a challenge. When the need arises to provide adequate and effective pain management for the recovering alcoholic, the problem becomes much more complex. The clinician must provide the patient with adequate analgesia without causing a relapse. In the US, 6% to 10% of the population has attended Alcoholics Anonymous at some point, increasing the likelihood of the clinician being faced with the need to manage acute pain in a recovering alcoholic. The purpose of this article is to suggest guidelines for the management of acute dental pain in the recovering alcoholic based on current principles of acute pain management and for the treatment of pain in addicted patients.